On February 17, 2009 the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) endorsed the Canada-wide Strategy for the Management of Municipal Wastewater Effluent.

By treating wastewater before it is discharged to the environment, risks posed to human and environmental health are reduced. This strategy addresses municipal wastewater facilities by focusing on two outcomes:

Improved human health and environmental protection.

Improved clarity about the way municipal wastewater effluent is managed and regulated.

Traditionally, sewage has only been seen as something harmful that we need to get rid of. Through advances in technology, we now know that our sewage can also be a renewable source of energy. We can build a sewage treatment system that focuses on producing energy (heat, biofuels), while protecting the environment and keeping our taxes as low as possible.